


Flicker

by dixonandgreene



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Beth Greene Lives, Child Abuse, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, No Terminus (Walking Dead), Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-19 05:26:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5955355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dixonandgreene/pseuds/dixonandgreene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Beth and Daryl made it out of that funeral home together? What if she had never been taken from him?</p><p>A canon-divergent story taking place starting towards the end of "Alone" when Beth and Daryl were last together. Things happen much differently as Grady and Terminus will not be plot points.</p><p>[ REUPLOADED ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Seven Devils

**Author's Note:**

> Note: This story contains extremely triggering content and you need to proceed with caution. I would recommend that the readers of this story are 18+ and not easily triggered by abuse (physical, sexual, emotional or substance related), assault, or extreme violence. Also, this story will cover part of Daryl's backstory and it will include a companion fic that is a prequel to The Walking Dead. Daryl's history is canon-divergent because it's theory based and based on his past abuse. And while I do not go into graphic, explicit detail for any violently abusive actions - it's still The Walking Dead.
> 
> Updates are posted every other day! Usually on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and Saturday.

"Holy water cannot help you now  
Thousand armies couldn't keep me out  
I don't want your money  
I don't want your crown  
See I've come to burn your kingdom down"

Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine

* * *

 

Upon hearing a noise outside followed by a loud whine from the white dog that had visited earlier, Daryl grabbed the jar of pickled pig's feet, and began to walk to the front door to see what was going on. "---Well, well, well it looks like we got ourselves some dinner!" A rugged looking man with gray hair and a matching goatee exclaimed proudly. Daryl stood behind the door silently, squinting his eyes in the darkness, as he watched the men gathering around the entrance to the house. As the man lifted up the now dead dog, Daryl furrowed his brow in anger and disgust, then glanced back over to Beth. Realizing these men would try to get inside the house. Beth got up and slowly walked over to Daryl. 

"What's goin' on?" She asked quietly, hearing the men outside and Daryl immediately lifted a finger to his lips to tell her to hush. She nodded then backed up into the kitchen once more to grab her bag and stuff it with whatever they could take. A jar of peanut butter, the pigs feet, and some soda cans were the only things she could put inside the bag without weighing herself down. "We need to get outta here," she whispered, Daryl nodded as he picked up his bow and other supplies. 

"Yeah, c'mon," Daryl began as he started to help her walk through the halls of the house. Just as he heard a loud crash upstairs then a loud bang coming from his right side - he knew he needed to do the unthinkable. Gently, he held onto Beth as he lead her downstairs to the embalming room. 

"Damn, this is one hell of a nice place! I say we claim it!" Daryl could hear one husky voiced man say from the floor above as he entered the home. "What'd y'all think 'bout that?" The voice continued as Daryl and Beth found their way into the room to hide.

As his eyes locked on the coolers, Daryl's sapphire blue eyes locked on Beth's beautiful ocean blue hues and she shook her head. "Nuh-uh," Beth whispered in disagreement; she knew exactly what Daryl was thinking.

"We gotta." The hunter replied, opening one of the doors to put their stuff in before he opened one for Beth. "Get in," he added, hearing footsteps coming from down the hall. Beth panicked and climbed inside the cooler, her heart feeling as though it was going to beat right through her ribs, just as she climbed into the cooler to hide. As soon as the door was shut, Daryl climbed into the locker beside of Beth, and shut the door right as two of the strange men walked into the room. 

Daryl knew it wasn't in his nature to just hide and hide his stuff when out numbered but he knew what kind of men he was dealing with. They were the same type of people that Merle ran with and they were not the kind of people you'd want to meet on the street. He knew exactly what they were capable of and he knew he had to hide or risk their lives. "Hey, Joe, you gotta see this shit!" One man called out, another man walked into the room and guffawed at the bodies of walkers that were displayed in funeral clothing. "Who in the hell does this kind of thing to biters?" He questioned, the other continued to laugh and it evoked a quiet chuckle out of the man that had been speaking.

Beth closed her eyes tightly as she held her hand over her mouth. Her heart sank as she listened to those men trashing the thought of someone doing something so kind. It was a very sweet thing this person had done for those walkers and deep in her heart, it really hurt her to think people could be so heartless, and make fun of such a caring act. Daryl, on the other hand felt a twinge of guilt inside as he listened - he knew what he sounded like earlier. Now he couldn't help but to see himself as a total prick for what he had said to Beth; she was right, it was a kind but strangely beautiful act. "Some nutjob," the other man finally responded as he stopped laughing while pulling back sheets on the other walkers. "Let's see what we can find in here!" He continued, Beth and Daryl could hear the smirk in his voice.

Daryl moved to grip the knife he thought he had with him, but it was in the bag with the other weapons. "Ah, _shit_ ," The archer thought as he continued to lay there silently in the dark, cold locker. Beth slowly shifted her weight to keep her hip from cramping up but when she moved - her knee gently hit the side of the metal locker, and her eyes widened.

"Oh God," Beth whispered to herself, just as she heard footsteps approaching the cooler. The door opened, exposing Beth's blonde locks as she was pulled out of the locker. She began to fight back, struggling as she flailed about, while a dark haired man held onto her tightly to get her to stand.

"Claimed."


	2. Don't Dream It's Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is where it gets triggering and where the implied sexual assault tag comes into play. You've been warned!

"Hey now, hey now  
Don't dream it's over  
Hey now, hey now  
When the world comes in  
They come, they come  
To build a wall between us  
We know they won't win

Don't let them win"

Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House

* * *

 

Only seconds after the men left the room, Daryl got out of the locker, and grabbed his weapons from the locker next to him. He quietly crept up behind three men that seemed to be getting some sort of sick thrill out of watching Beth being assaulted. He didn't know how he was going to get out of this alive and safely with Beth. How would he take down seven men all on his own? Usually he had someone like Michonne, Rick, or Glenn backing him up. But not this time, this time he was completely on his own, and he had to act fast.

"What'd ya think you're doin', Boy?" a gruff voice spoke from behind Daryl as he stood in the doorway, ready to take Len and Joe down, before they could do anything to Beth. Daryl clinched his jaw and aimed his bow at the man's head but the larger man didn't even flinch. "You'd best drop that. It's claimed now," he continued, speaking quietly as he watched Daryl glance over his shoulder when he heard Beth scream for his help.

Daryl placed his bow on the ground and stepped back the moment he noticed there was a gun pointed at his head. He placed the bow against the wall next to him in the hall and raised his hands by his head to show them he wouldn't try anything stupid. "C'mon," the obese man commanded as he pulled him by the back of his shirt collar to follow him to another room. As the man opened the door to a supply closet and grabbed some rope, yet just as the bearded man began to tie him, Daryl broke free and grabbed his own gun. He pulled the handgun out from his waistband and held it to the other's head, firing once.

The shot from inside that room rang out loudly, however just as the men began to turn their attention to Daryl, another ran back in the house shouting about how someone had been taken by people in a black vehicle. "Tony's gone, Joe! He got hit and then they took him," a slender dirty blonde haired man exclaimed angrily. Joe zipped his pants up and took off with the rest of the group. Len followed directly behind Joe as they headed out into the night; Daryl then quickly made a move once it was safe for him to head into the halls. Tucking his gun away, he grabbed his bow from the hall, and put it over his shoulder.

He dreaded heading into that viewing room because he knew what awaited. Beth was laying there, passed out with a bruised up face and her lower body exposed. Crimson red blood dripped down her lower body as she continued to lie there, looking as if she was sleeping. Daryl's heart sank as he moved to lift her to put her clothes back on her before he scooped her up in his arms.

"I'll get you somewhere safe; don't you worry," he whispered, grunting quietly as he moved to stand with her in his arms. She was so much heavier than she looked with such a petite frame. As he carried her out into the night, he knew he needed to get her to a safe place, and he knew there were stops that needed to be made along the way. The first place on his mind was a pharmacy.

* * *

 The next morning, Beth awoke to Daryl sleeping across from her inside of an unfamiliar house. From the inside, it looked like a nice cabin he had found for them, and it left Beth feeling confused. As she moved, a sharp pain ran along the lower half of her body, causing her to cry out in agony. Daryl jumped up, immediately feeling his veins begin to pump with a adrenaline, before he took a breath. She was awake; she was alive - that was all that mattered to the hunter. As Daryl stood up, he slowly approached Beth and she moved to slink back into the couch; her icy blue eyes widening as he got closer to her. "Don't touch me, Daryl," Beth stammered, her eyes quickly filling with tears. "Please. Don't." Beth added, swallowing hard as she began to feel her body shake with fear. 

"Hey, I won't hurt ya. I jus wanted to hand ya this," Daryl spoke softly, handing her a pack of morning after pills. The last thing the poor girl needed was to fall pregnant after what she had experienced. "Take it real quick." Daryl continued, Beth looked confused for a moment before everything came flooding back to her. She remembered being pinned down by two strange men, hit, and held by her hair while they had their way with her. As she looked at the package in her hand, she began to sob quietly while she thought about what happened to her.

"I trusted you!" Beth shouted angrily through her tears as her eyes locked on the archer's. "Why did you let this happen to me? I needed you and you didn't help me at all," Beth added, breathing heavily as she continued to sob. She was terrified, there was nothing that could change that fact either as she continued to lay there. Daryl moved to sit back down across from Beth as he listened to her, his hands began to shake as he ran them through his greasy locks of dark brown hair. "Where the hell were you when I needed you? Hidin' like a little bitch in those lockers?" Beth continued, as she wiped her eyes from the tears that seemed to be rapidly falling along her soft tanned cheeks.

The hunter grunted as he looked away from Beth. "I ain't a bitch," Daryl muttered under his breath as he looked down at the hardwood floor. His hands began to grow cold as he sat there listening to Beth's cruel words. Sure, she was hurt both physically and emotionally, but to Daryl - he felt like what she was saying, was simply going too far.

"Well ya sure did act like one back there!" Beth retorted, furrowing her brow as she went from scared and sad to angry. Daryl looked up at her, his face turning a darkened shade of red from anger as the two locked eyes. 

"You're not gonna talk to me like that, Beth!" Daryl exclaimed, he then stood up and paced the floor for a moment as he thought of what to say, while attempting to breathe. "You're not gonna come into my house and yell at me; I did what I could - we were out numbered," Daryl continued, only to realize exactly what he had said to her and he grew quiet. Beth fell silent as she looked around, her eyes taking in the scenery.

The place was rustic, small and quite cozy. It was what people would expect to camp in if they wanted to rent a house along the mountainside. While it certainly wasn't a luxury home, it was still nice, and not the kind of place Beth expected Daryl to live in. "Bullshit. This isn't your place," Beth remarked, crossing her bruised arms over her chest. 

"Yeah, it is. I lived here before the world went all to hell," Daryl commented, he continued to watch as Beth took in the interior of the home. Her eyes happened to fall on a beautiful stone fireplace across the room, Daryl sighed as he waited for more commentary from Beth. However, she didn't have anything else to say.

"Why did you bring me here?" Beth asked, Daryl shrugged his shoulders as he got up to grab a can of soda from their bags. He opened it and moved to sit down while Beth grabbed the water bottle from the coffee table. She put the pill in her mouth then swallowed a mouth full of water. 

"You thought I was a criminal. I ain't. I wanted to show you I'm not like the men that hurt you," Daryl stated simply, Beth bit her lip softly then winced as she realized it was cut from having been hit. "I wanted to give ya a reason to keep trustin' me, too." Daryl added, Beth nodded and wiped another tear away from her eye.

"Only if you tell me more about you. I barely know you," Beth agreed, Daryl locked eyes with her once more then he simply nodded his head. "I want to know who you really are. Clearly, you're not someone I assumed - or who you made yourself out to be." 

"Okay, deal."


	3. I Surrender

"Oh this road has been hard on my feet, on my heart  
Led me to the gates of hell, I know sorrow all too well.  
Lost my Love to the Wind, left me half of who I am  
Heavy load, Heaven knows, I'm tired.

I give up, I give in, I lay down

I surrender."

I Surrender by Aron Wright

* * *

 

"You know, you should take a shower," Beth muttered as she looked over to Daryl. He was soaking wet with sweat, his hair was a damp mess of oil from his scalp and dirt that had collected, and frankly - he didn't smell like sunshine and roses. "You smell like ass." She added bluntly, Daryl raised his head to look back at the young woman before giving himself a once over. She was right, he looked awful and probably smelled even worse after all the running he had done earlier.

Daryl furrowed his brow and nodded but then as he took a good look at her, he realized he wasn't alone in being a mess. "Yeah? You look and smell like walker bait with all that blood on ya," Daryl retorted, just as Beth looked down at her clothes. He wasn't wrong either but for some reason, his remarks made her feel pathetic, and like a victim all over again. Her heart sank in her chest as she sat there, crossing her arms while she curled up into a ball, just as her legs were pulled to her chest.

"How am I supposed to change clothes?" Beth asked, Daryl then walked into the hall where he had placed her stuff with his and grabbed the clothes he got her. Earlier, before she woke up, Daryl managed to safely leave her for a half an hour to go back into town to Walmart. He had noticed how the store had barely been touched by anyone and he decided to make his supply run there - since he could get everything he needed, then get out swiftly. He grabbed the dark blue, slightly faded jeans and the white spaghetti strap tank top from the pile. Then he reached down to grab the hunter green cardigan, gray socks, and brown hiking boots to carry in his other arm. Once he took her clothes to her, Beth reached out to take everything from Daryl with widened eyes as she realized what he had done for her. "What's all this?" Beth continued to question him, Daryl shrugged and grunted softly in response. "Don't do that. Why did you do this for me?"

"I didn't want to make you keep wearin' those clothes. You know what happened to you and you -- didn't need somethin' remindin' ya of what they did back there," Daryl spoke softly. "I got more stuff for ya while I was out, though. There's a light pink sweater if you get cold, there's soap in your bag, and girly shit you might need." Daryl added, Beth couldn't believe how thoughtful the man was but she was happy that he at least thought to bring her some things back. He could've grabbed the Plan B pill and ran, but he didn't.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Beth asked, she had been nothing but bitter since she woke up which was understood in Daryl's mind, but in her own - she didn't expect him to show compassion.

"You're still you." Daryl simply replied with a light shrug, Beth gave him a small smile before she got up and winced at the pain in her lower body. One deep breath later, Daryl pointed to the hall where she could take her shower, and he headed to his own bathroom to do the same.

* * *

 

As she stepped inside the rustic bathroom, Beth took a look at herself in the mirror, noticing the blackened bruised skin beneath her eye for the first time. She was dirty, bloodied, and bruised. Beth's eyes locked on her reflection and she felt herself tearing up again but this time she chose to fight back her tears. She vaguely remembered a moment between her and Glenn when she was at the prison. And how he once talked to her about the scars on her wrists.

"[Just remember what I told you. You're strong, you're not weak, and you will survive whatever comes your way. No matter what, I know you'll make it out alive because that's who you are.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5995120)" Glenn's words rang loudly in her head and Beth felt a warm tear fall from her left eye, onto her sun-kissed cheek. She slowly began to remove her clothes, taking note of every bruise and mark left on her skin, while reminding herself that those wounds would heal. She would get through this; she just had to.

Beth quietly turned the knobs to make the water nice and warm but not too hot. She then looked through the new bag which Daryl had got for her while he was out on his trip. Inside she found a little of everything from a travel kit with toothpaste, a toothbrush, deodorant, and body wash to a small multi-pack of tampons in the brand she always used. She grabbed the small bottle of soap that read 'strawberry swirl' on it to use in the shower. Opening it, she inhaled the sweet fruity scent of the soap and she finally managed to genuinely smile.

Once she put the soap on the cabinet, she took a quick look around the bathroom and got out a fluffy black towel to dry off with, before she finally got the nerve to remove her pants. Her boots slowly came off first, along with her socks, and she sat those aside before standing upright. Slowly, her hands moved to unbutton her jeans, and quickly she unzipped them as well. The petite blonde's hands shook as she gently pushed the fabric down feeling her underwear unstick from her skin with a gentle tug. She was bloody, her flesh was bruised and somewhat torn which lead to Beth taking a panicked deep breath to calm herself.

"Just get this mess off of you. You'll be okay," she told herself as she moved the bloody pants aside, averting her eyes so she didn't look in the mirror and instead at the warm water that was about to touch her skin for the first time. She grabbed the bodywash, stepped inside, and relaxed as the water hit her skin. It felt relaxing and revitalizing when the young blonde realized as all the crimson stains on her skin washed off, she was free from the chains those men had left her in, and she would soon begin the journey to heal on her own.

Beth felt like she was free again.

* * *

Upstairs in the master bathroom, Daryl was standing with his back to the mirror, looking at the scars that remained on his own back. Seeing them, he could remember when he was beaten as a kid with anything from a belt or whip to a very thin, fine hickory switch. He shook of the thoughts, repressing them once more as he got into his own shower, and began to wash the filth away from his hair and body. His eyes watched as the blackened water washed along his body and down the drain on the shower floor. He wanted to forget what he had seen when he found Beth; it reminded him too much of things he had seen in his life before the outbreak.

His shower took less time than Beth's because he was always the type to get in and get out the moment he was clean. It wasn't some relaxing getaway, it was just a thing he had to do to keep his body from stinking up the place. He managed to feel his own heart beginning to beat harder and faster as a feeling of sadness washed over him, like the hot water flowing down his body. The sapphire eyed hunter looked up allowing water to hit his face and wash off the small amount of facial hair he had.

Daryl stepped out and dried off with the black towel on the bathroom cabinet. He wrapped the towel around his waist once he was done towel-drying his hair. As he combed through it with one of his old combs, he made sure it was at least presentable, and not so much in his eyes. Beneath his eye was yet another reminder of his past and he swallowed hard as his mind flashed back to a beating he got, after one of Merle's drug deals went wrong. He shook the thoughts from his mind, then got dressed in some clean clothes he managed to find in his own closet, and luckily they still fit.

Once his black jeans, dark blue grey button down shirt, and vest were on his body, the man slipped on his clean socks and black boots. Once again, he looked like the Daryl that everyone knew before the outbreak, with much darker and shaggier hair. Daryl headed back downstairs, where he found Beth sitting in the clothes she had been given, and she immediately pulled her legs to her chest once she covered herself with the green cardigan.

* * *

 

"We made a deal," the golden blonde spoke softly as she watched Daryl sit down in the den once more. "You said you'd tell me about you so - start talking," Beth added. Daryl sighed heavily and nodded his head as he got comfortable.

"Where do ya want me to begin?" Daryl asked.

"I want to know everything. Start with your childhood, if you can, and I guess you could go from there," Beth replied softly. Daryl couldn't believe that he was surrendering to such a request. He didn't like to talk about his past which is why he said he was a nobody; that he was nothing. He felt it was true but since Beth was itching to know so much about him now, he decided to give in.

"---Okay, well, I was born on July thirteenth, nineteen seventy-two and I grew up in the mountains of Georgia. I lived in Clayton, Georgia for most of my life; it's a small town in the middle of nowhere," Daryl began to recall as he started on the difficult journey of childhood memories. "My parents were Arlene and Clarence Dixon. They were both trashy, redneck drunks that had no business being parents - yet they were. My dad was a dropout that made a livin' doing odd jobs and sellin' homemade moonshine and my mom was a lazy, good for nothin' housewife." Daryl spoke bluntly about his parents, his body began to tense up as he thought about them and how negligent they were amongst other things.

Beth noticed how tense Daryl seemed to be getting. It was like he was reliving the past as he spoke about his parents. "They were mean to you, weren't they?" She inquired, the two locked eyes for a moment and Daryl nodded his head.

"How'd you know?" Daryl asked.

"I can see it in your eyes." Beth replied softly, after all she had a tendency to really take in the body language and expressions of people around her. Especially if she felt close to them or threatened by them. Beth noticed how tense Daryl seemed to be getting. It was like he was reliving the past as he spoke about his parents. "They were mean to you, weren't they?" She inquired, the two locked eyes for a moment and Daryl nodded his head. "You don't have to finish; I shouldn't have asked you to do this for me." Beth added, Daryl shook his head and exhaled a deep breath.  
  
"I wanna," Daryl commented, Beth was a bit taken aback by his statement but she grew silent to let him speak. "Y'might wanna gimme an idea on where to begin, if ya wanna know something kinda specific." Daryl concluded, hoping she would ask him something more detailed. He wasn't going to write his own autobiography for her.

"---When did they start hurting you?" Beth inquired, Daryl should have known not to say anything if he wanted Beth to keep quiet about his abuse, but he decided to reply.

"It started 'round the time I was three. I don't quite remember much about it but I know my dad's drinkin' got really bad and my mom started cheatin' on him, round that time." Daryl admitted, the rough palm of his hand rubbing the soft flesh of the back of his neck as he spoke. "It only got worse from there. A lotta things happened that I don't want to talk 'bout right now but -- I'll tell ya soon 'nough." Daryl concluded, Beth nodded because she understood.

What she didn't know was that now he understood her, as well. 


End file.
